User blog:Dxrd/Fixing "Dragon Ball Z: The Dead Zone" (July 15th, 1989; 45 Minutes)
So this movie in it's current form is a 8/10 for me, but one can't ignore the canonicity contradictions it's loaded with and some other issues that I would like to suggest a repairment in this very post. ' ' Canon contradictions: #'Krillin knows who Gohan is - '''It would have been best if Krillin was taken out cold by a blitz move by Nicky (who didn't do much in this movie - besides looking like a clown chasing with no success after the drunk Gohan - despite having the most interesting design IMHO) after saving Goku's life with his sideline surprise Kamehameha, before Goku could tell him to go and protect his son (not just "Gohan", leaving his relation to him open to later introduction). Kami can take him afterwards back to Kame House and let him be under the Turtle Hermit's care. #'Goku and Piccolo's teaming up for the first time before Raditz's arrival which lessens it's over-dramatic tone when it did happen -''' I would have wrote/stage it with Garlic Jr.'s castle having the effect of nulling ki sensing for any Non-Makayan, and that the two were fighting routinely against Garlic Jr. "in turns" (when one is taken down, the other had enough time to gain some stamina and fight the immortal yet regulary stamina based Makayan once more), not knowing who's hurting the Makayan from the other side. There is no interaction between the two who are standing in two different angles/sides of Garlic who's about to open the Dead Zone, when they take cover and each is trying to save his own "party" (Goku tries to grab Gohan with all of his strength and hold on to the pillar, Kami is doing the same with the knocked out Krillin; Piccolo is also in the same position, and is keeping an eye over Kami hoping he won't get sucked inside the void and will cease to be which will terminate his life force as well). #'Timeline placement -' IMHO It'd be best if this movie was to be set in April of Age 760, having Gohan a bit younger and less stronger than what he was against Raditz (who should be stronger than Garlic Jr. anyhows) and having a contrast between the bloomings of spring and Garlic's demonic hideout's atmosphere. Other things: #'Garlic Jr. and his minions' background story -' So Garlic Sr. was sealed away 300 years prior by Earth's previous Guardian, so where the heck did his son and lackeys popped out from? Why was it so late? Did they came by a spaceship from the far away Makayo Star? How do Kami knows them/Garlic Jr. in particular? If they were sealed on Earth for all these years and were somehow let out (Pilaf Gang looking for a Dragon Ball in an undersea cave by mistake?) I'd be more satisfied with that. #'Kami's flashbacks of Garlic Sr. and Earth's previous Guardian -' I would portray these events with actual designed characters and not with silhouettes; If the movie was longer, let's say 1 hour and not "just" 45 minutes as it is, I'd even add the answer to the previously asked question: "How did Kami knew who these new villains are?" with showing that he sealed them and hid their container at the bottom of the deepest ocean. #'Technicallity issue about the attacking of Piccolo -' Garlic Jr. seems to know that Piccolo and Kami's life are bonded, meaning that if one of them dies so will the other and as a result of it the Dragon Balls, which are the mean of Garlic Jr. to immortality, will be deactivated - So what was his logic in attacking the young Namekian? It'd be best if they would just use this to pounch his pride, to signal to Kami that they're on the loose again but not trying to get rid of Piccolo Jr. #'Krillin making it to Garlic Jr.'s Castle?! -' Krillin couldn't fly till he trained with Kami starting in November of Age 761, so it doesn't makes sense that he managed to travel all this way from his whereabouts on Roshi's island in such short time. It should have been shown that he was brought along by Kami (who could always fly due to his Namekian origin) who chose him in the small time he had to recruit someone of the strongest Earthlings as Goku's ally in this fight due to their past close training with each other. Roshi could be shown awaking in a hurry, covered with his dirty magazines all over his place, suggesting his aid but was rejected by Kami because he wasn't "in fighting shape". Category:Blog posts